EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – They are too small.
They play in an inferior conference. They didn't deserve a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They won't be able to cut it against a hotshot team from a power conference.
Those persistent criticisms of the St. Joseph's Hawks seem like faded echoes now.
They are in the Elite Eight.

A.J. Smith can sense the restlessness in Chargers fans. Without asking, he acknowledges that he reads and listens to everything being written and said about the team he's empowered to run as general manager.